US 5,619,237 AGranted

Replaceable ink tank

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsHiroyuki Inoue, Sadayuki Sugama, Soichi Hiramatsu, Hideki Yamaguchi, Toshihiko Ujita, Akihiro Yamanaka, Takashi Nojima, Yasuo Kotaki, Keiichiro Tsukuda, Hitoshi Nakamura, Akira Kida, Hideaki Kawakami, Takeshi Iwasaki

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Abstract

A replaceable tank for an ink cartridge used in a bubble jet printer comprises a container formed by side walls, top and bottom walls connected to the side walls. At least one ink supply port is provided in the bottom wall of the container and is disposed for supplying ink from at least one ink chamber in the container into a corresponding ink tapping pipe in the ink cartridge. The container includes a locking member on one of the container side walls for engaging a guide groove in the cartridge, the container being configured for insertion into an open top of an ink tank holder formed by the cartridge, with the bottom wall of the container facing downward and the side walls of the container aligned with side walls of the ink cartridge. The locking member is constructed for securing the container in place in the ink tank holder with the ink supply port connecting with the corresponding ink tapping pipe.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A replaceable single-color ink tank for an ink cartridge used in a bubble jet printer, the cartridge comprising side walls and a bottom wall connected to the side walls, said side and bottom walls forming an ink tank holder having an open top through which said ink tank is inserted into and removed from the cartridge, an ink jet print head for printing with at least one ink, at least one ink tapping pipe upstanding from the inside of the bottom wall for introducing ink to the ink jet print head, and a guide groove in a side wall of the cartridge, said single-color ink tank comprising:

a container formed by side walls, and top and bottom walls connected to the side walls;
an ink supply port in said bottom wall of said container, said ink supply port being disposed for supplying ink from said container to the ink tapping pipe in the ink cartridge;
a locking member on one of said side walls of said container for engaging the guide groove in the cartridge;
and
said container being configured for insertion into the open top of the ink tank holder with said bottom wall of said container facing downward and said side walls of said container aligned with the side walls of the ink cartridge, and said locking member being constructed for engaging the guide groove and securing said container in place in said ink tank holder with said ink supply port connecting with the ink tapping pipe.

2 more elements

A replaceable multi-ink tank for an ink cartridge used in a bubble jet printer, the cartridge comprising side walls and a bottom wall connected to the side walls, said side and bottom walls forming an ink tank holder having an open top through which said ink tank is inserted into and removed from the cartridge, an ink jet print head for printing with at least three different inks, at least three ink tapping pipes upstanding from the inside of the bottom wall for introducing at least three different inks to the ink jet print head, and at least one guide groove in a side wall of the cartridge, said multi-ink tank comprising:

a container formed by side walls, and top and bottom walls connected to the side walls;
partition members in said container to divide said container into three different chambers for containing the different inks;
three ink supply ports in said bottom wall of said container, each of said supply ports being disposed for supplying ink from one of said three ink chambers to a corresponding one of the three ink tapping pipes in the ink cartridge;
a locking member on one of said side walls of said container for engaging the guide groove in the cartridge;
and
said container being configured for insertion into the open top of the ink tank holder with said bottom wall of said container facing downward and said side walls of said container aligned with the side walls of the ink cartridge, and said locking member being constructed for engaging the guide groove and securing said container in place in the ink tank holder with each of said ink supply ports connecting with the corresponding ink tapping pipe.

3 more elements

A replaceable ink cartridge for a bubble jet printer having a carriage adapted to scan a recording sheet, said cartridge comprising:

side walls and a bottom wall connected to said side walls to form an ink tank holder having an open top;
an ink jet print head for printing with at least one ink;
at least one ink tapping pipe upstanding from the inside of said bottom wall for introducing ink to said print head;
and
at least one groove in a side wall of said cartridge, said guide groove being configured for engaging a locking member on a side wall of an ink tank inserted into said open top of said ink tank holder for securing the ink tank in place in said cartridge with an ink supply port in the ink tank connecting with a corresponding said ink tapping pipe in said cartridge.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.